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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29488413">follow the sun</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/katwow/pseuds/katwow'>katwow</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Avatar: The Last Airbender</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Azutara Week 2021, Domesticity, F/F, Fluff, Lesbian Azula (Avatar), Lesbian Katara (Avatar), get-together</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 23:48:57</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,104</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29488413</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/katwow/pseuds/katwow</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>‘No one’s watching, Katara, I’m sure we can just back away and pretend this never happened.’ Azula rolls her eyes, tapping her foot impatiently.</p><p>‘We are not leaving this two year old to fend for himself in the middle of the Earth Kingdom!’ Katara hisses back, bending down to look into its eyes. </p><p>Written for Azutara week day two: healing</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Azula/Katara (Avatar)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>137</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>follow the sun</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>‘No one’s watching, Katara, I’m sure we can just back away and pretend this never happened.’ Azula rolls her eyes, tapping her foot impatiently.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘We are not leaving this two year old to fend for himself in the middle of the Earth Kingdom!’ Katara hisses back, bending down to look into its eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘How could you possibly know how old it is?’ Azula asks incredulously, a look of complete disgust on her face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Unlike you, I have plenty of experience helping babies and young children.’ Katara huffs, babbling some nonsense to the small helpless child.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘I hope this won’t interfere with our plan to reach Ba Sing Se in three days.’ Azula says, secretly quite threatened by the miniature life form in front of them. It’s not like she had much experience in ‘babies’, ‘care’ or even kindness, what good could she possibly do for this child.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She tickles it softly, trying to abate the sadness in its eyes. She talks and coos at it gently in a bid for its trust, taking note of the still-damp cheeks. Azula watches with feigned boredom, tapping her foot impatiently as she awaits Katara’s answer. Surely the best option for all of them would be to leave the child on the forest floor, perhaps cover it with some leaves for camouflage and run away, hoping that the parents would return for it sooner rather than later.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘He’s a boy!’ Katara declares, straightening to her full height with him at her waist.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Wonderful, shall I have the Fire Sages make an announcement?’ Azula drawls. Seriously, what did Katara expect, fireworks and little rice-paper cards? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Katara ignores her as she pokes around the clearing, surveying for any signs of human life. Azula looks around on the jungle floor, deciding that if they can work out the baby’s origin they’ll be rid of him soon after. How the parents managed to leave behind an entire child while taking everything else with them, Azula will never know.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Katara pats the baby down, checking his clothes for any distinctive markings. She finds a coin-sized jade pendant tucked in the child’s wrappings, carved intricately with Earth Kingdom characters.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘What’s that?’ Azula asks, looking over Katara’s shoulder. Katara shows it to her, hoping she’ll gain more from it. ‘Ah, a family crest. Let me have a look.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Azula studies it for a moment, tilting it this way and that in the dappled light of the jungle. ‘It seems this baby belongs to the Hou clan.’ She smirks as she hands it back to Katara who tucks it back in the baby’s clothes. ‘I have good news and I have bad news.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Katara looks at her expectantly. ‘Good news first.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘We won’t be late to meet King Keui.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘And the bad news?’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘We’re now in the possession of a baby boy from a noble Earth Kingdom family.’ Azula grumbled, picking up her pack and taking the path out of the clearing.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>There are roughly three things Azula knows about babies. She hadn’t exactly come across many of them in the cold chambers of the Fire Nation palace, and no one has trusted her enough to leave an infant with her since she was a toddler. Something about her tendency to make them cry put off their parents, but all Azula remembers of those few experiences was her burning curiosity to find out more about the tiny humans.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Anyways, she knows that babies cry a lot, they poop a lot and they eat often.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luckily for Katara, the Earth Kingdom child bursts into tears a few hours down the road. One glance at her tells Azula that the baby has either admitted to a few dozen war crimes or unloaded its bowels into his diaper.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Azula is happy to go looking for food at that exact moment, leaving Katara to deal with the wreckage.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>They set up camp once night falls, surprisingly still on track according to Azula’s myriad maps. Azula stokes the fire and starts cooking while Katara assembles the tent, leaving her to entertain the boy child. She has absolutely no idea how to do so, and instead wastes as much time as possible tending to the fire.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once she’s satisfied by the temperature and size of the flame (and can dawdle no longer), she sits back on the tatami mat they’ve laid down. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘So… how do you feel about knives?’ Azula tries, thinking back to her childhood interests. The baby stares back blankly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘This one was a gift from my dead grandfather, Azulon. He committed genocide many years ago, and my mother killed him so that my father could rule. You can see here that the blade is sharp and if we test it’s balance’ Azula holds out a finger to show the child before spotting Katara’s horrified expression in the corner of her eye. ‘Nevermind.’</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>The tent was far too small for three people, especially when a tiny wailing baby was involved.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Can’t you just blood bend it to sleep?’ Azula groaned. The glare Katara shot her was particularly icy and her heart’s intense beat encouraged her sense of self-preservation. ‘I was kidding, I swear!’</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>The next day they come to a river, and Azula has to pay a boatsman two gold pieces to take them across. She grumbled a little when Katara refuses to take them across with her waterbending and her haggling with the man was less than successful thanks to her snappiness. It seems like today will be an uphill battle when it comes to ‘choosing positive actions’ as her healer advises constantly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It doesn’t help that the baby bursts into tears again halfway across the lake, causing both of them to flinch violently. The sailor starts complaining too as Katara rushes to shoosh the baby.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Hold on.’ Azula interrupts, summoning the last of her chi. She begins to bend a long stream of blue fire around the three of them, shaping it into dragons and other figures in an attempt to distract the baby. At first he’s so shocked that he forgets to cry, the temporary relief giving her the headspace to vary the pattern and look up at Katara for approval. Not that she needs approval from the water bender, she’d just like to have one over her. Of course.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The baby gurgles along happily as Katara looks at her, exhausted and unkempt from the journey, and smiles. Azula blushes unattractively, her flame shifting from blue to red as a result. She turns back to the flame and reigns in her control to keep the baby happy.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>After a day of walking across the jungle of the Earth Kingdom on less than a few hours of sleep, the pair were ready to set up camp a little earlier than anticipated. Azula helps set up the tent with Katara and leaves her to entertain the baby while she has a nap. It’s not long before she’s awoken by Katara’s voice singing to the child in their tiny tent. She pretends to keep sleeping but she lets her heart warm a little at the gentle tone of the other girl, the words washing over her like waves. She falls back asleep smiling.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>‘Are you hungry, little miġaruuraq?’ Katara bounces the baby a little, watching its happy little squirms with unabashed joy. ‘Give him some of your onigiri, one with a soft filling.’ Katara commands Azula.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Azula grumbles as she opens her pack, finding the thick leaves that contained the rice. ‘I hope you don’t expect me to go hungry for the little - what did you call it?’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Miġaruuraq, it’s the Water Tribe word for baby.’ Katara laughed. ‘I thought you would have known that, as much as you boast about being fluent in each and every language.’ She rolls her eyes sarcastically.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘My studies didn’t exactly include terms of endearment or ways to address children.’ Azula huffs, reluctantly passing over her red bean onigiri. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Katara unwraps the onigiri, pulling off a piece for the baby. She seems momentarily surprised that Azula willingly gave away her favourite flavor, but shakes it off to continue cooing at the baby. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The walk passes quickly with Katara enthusiastically telling the baby all about their surroundings and the many creatures one can find in an Earth Kingdom jungle. Azula trails behind, occasionally catching the baby’s eye over Katara’s shoulder and making ugly faces. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Soon enough Katara catches on to Azula’s show and turns to her. ‘What are you doing back there?’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Keeping him entertained.’ Azula sniffs, turning her nose up and looking away.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>Azula hums as she cooks that night, doing fancy tricks with the fire to gain the attention of the baby. She continues as Katara eats with them, taking note of the fond look on the waterbender’s face as she creates more dragons. She reaches the fearsome dragons out towards him and is careful to extinguish them the moment the baby reaches for them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eventually Katara tuts at her, smiling through her feigned annoyance.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘If you keep doing that, he’ll never calm down enough to sleep tonight.’ She warns.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Well, how do you suggest we entertain the child?’ Azula asks, extinguishing the dragons in a huff.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Let me try something.’ There’s a glint in Katara’s eye as she summons some water from the skin at her hip, using gentle hand motions to spin it into a flowing circle. She circles it around the baby, catching his attention with random sea animals formed from the water. Soon enough, the baby is completely entranced with the water, eyes drooping as he focuses on its movement. Azula finds herself nodding off a little as she stares at the water, and after jerking back awake she sees Katara smirking at her. She smiles back warmly, completely comfortable in that moment.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>Azula is pretty glad to see the last of the strange jungle-like terrain as they get closer to Ba Sing Se. The baby is happy, resting on Katara’s chest in a makeshift swaddle (She hadn’t exactly been happy to sacrifice one set of robes, but figured it was for the greater good since she wouldn’t have to carry him). She resumed her usual routine of making stupid faces at the baby as they progressed nearer to Ba Sing Se.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘I have a theory.’ Katara announces, unprovoked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Oh yeah?’ Azula replies absentmindedly, focusing on making her face as dragon-like as possible.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘I think you like the baby.’ Katara says, a self-satisfied smirk on her face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Of course not!’ Azula looks the waterbender in the eyes, face incredulous. She continues making faces, ignoring the smiles Katara keeps sending her and the warm feeling in her stomach.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>Finally, they arrive in Ba Sing Se. It’s only been three days but Azula swears they passed slower than usual with the added task of transporting the tiny child. They take a carriage to the upper ring, Azula glad to be among familiar territory. While the circumstances of her previous visit were questionable to say the least, it’s safe to say that she feels far more at home surrounded by the Dai Li than at the Fire Nation Palace.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The baby is delighted by all the sights and smells, Katara holding him closer than usual as they pass through the busy streets near the palace. Azula offers to hold him for a while, worried about Katara’s deep under eye bags, but the waterbender is reluctant to let go of the child.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once they’re shown to their rooms and receive their fair share of puzzled looks from nobles, Azula steps out. She looks for any member of the baby’s family but ultimately fails. Eventually, she decides to head back to their rooms, deciding a bath and some sleep will aid their search the next day.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Katara has passed out on one of the rolls, hair unleashed from its braid and forming a halo around her face. Azula pauses for a moment to admire it, forcing her eyes away when she realises how creepy she must seem. She lets down her hair, massaging her scalp where it aches from the high style and heats up the water in the basin. She sighs as she slowly submerges herself, dozing for a few minutes before she sets to work washing the grime off her body.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A few hours later, a knock comes at the door. Azula groans as she awakens, first checking the baby before stumbling towards the door. Katara jumps awake too, tending to the child as it gurgles in alarm.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Oh thank goodness!’ the woman in the door cries, hugging Azula abruptly. Azula pats her on the back, now fully alert and aware of her unkempt appearance.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Princess, I’m so sorry, they insisted on coming in-’ a servant exclaims.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Azula is fine.’ She replies absentmindedly, shellshocked at the feeling of warm tears soaking into her shoulder. ‘Are you okay?’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘My baby! You found my baby!’ The woman’s makeup was running unattractively down her face, the powder now tear-streaked and dark patches forming under her eyes. Azula looked around slowly, realising Katara had come closer and was holding the child protectively.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A man (presumably the father) followed after the woman, bowing excessively and prying his wife off Azula’s front.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Princess Azula! I apologise for my wife’s behaviour, she’s been extremely upset since we lost our son.’ He speaks hurriedly, eyes wide as he attempts to restrain his wife.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Oh! My little Ming!’ The woman rushes forward to Katara, who reluctantly hands over the child, still silent.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Princess, you have brought our son back to us, we will provide you any reward you desire!’ The man says fervently. Knowing the Hou family, he has little to offer the princess.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Just don’t lose him again.’ Azula replies. ‘Besides, I hardly did a thing to help him. You should really thank Katara.’ This results in another frenzied round of bowing and introductions, and Azula momentarily fears for the state of the child’s stomach.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Katara, ever the maternal figure, offers them tea (likely wanting to prolong the child’s departure - Azula saw the sad look in her eye when she handed him over). The Hou’s gratefully decline, rushing out the door with the same hysteria that they entered with.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Annoyed and slightly uncomfortable, Azula flops onto a chair. Katara follows, with a distinctly saddened look on her face. They sit in silence for a few moments.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Want me to make some tea?’ Azula offers, hoping to cheer up the waterbender.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘No way, your tea always tastes gross.’ Katara tries to joke, but it comes off sadder than expected.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘I have a theory.’ Azula says after a few moments. Katara looks up to meet her eyes. ‘I think you like the baby too.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘So you admit you like the baby?’ Katara insists. At Azula’s pointed look, she sighs. ‘Of course I like the baby. He was so sweet and cute.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Sweet? He wasn’t sweet when he was wailing in the middle of the night, or when he pulled my hair the one time I tried to hold him.’ Azula grumbles. ‘He was cute, though.’ She sighs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Katara leans over, putting her head on Azula’s shoulder. ‘I think I might miss him.’ Azula hears through the fuzz that has taken over her brain.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They sit like that for longer than is justified, breathing together and sharing their weird sadness. It helps, Azula thinks, to share the feeling with someone else, to know someone so well you can just sit in silence. To just </span>
  <em>
    <span>be</span>
  </em>
  <span> with someone you lo-</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hold on. Hooold on. Did she just? Is she? Does Azula love Katara? Her heart is beating a mile a minute now, and she’s glad Katara isn’t lying across her chest (not that she wouldn’t enjoy that - she thinks she would kind of lov- like it). Surely she’ll notice, now that Azula is leaning on her in a palace bedroom as they mourn the loss of a child that wasn’t theirs for more than 72 hours.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Katara leans back to look Azula in the eye, frowning slightly. ‘What’s wrong?’ She asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Nothing! I’m all fine, just so sad about Ming. Can’t believe we didn’t know him for long at all and yet here we are. Sad.’ Azula is now pacing the room, talking fast like a complete weirdo as her mind runs a mile a minute. Sure, she had liked boys before, probably, and it’s not like it’s illegal to like girls anymore (at least in places that aren’t the Earth Kingdom).</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Azula, you’re kind of freaking me out right now.’ Katara replies, voice wary.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘I’m fine! I’m perfectly peachy keen, you don’t need to worry about me!’ She had always admired Ty Lee and Mai, but the thought of them in any kind of romantic setting kind of set her stomach turning. Maybe she had a small crush on her history tutor as a young girl, but so had everyone else, right? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘We can ask to see him when we visit Ba Sing Se, you don’t need to worry.’ Katara placates.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Azula sits back down next to Katara. ‘I’m not worried about him, Katara. I’m having kind of a major mental breakthrough right now, so don’t mind me.’ Hmm. Maybe it was just Azula - Zuko never seemed to care about her shiny hair or rosy pink cheeks. She should write to her someday to thank her for always presenting herself with such pride.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Please don’t tell me you meant breakdown.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Hold on.’ So that was it. Azula liked girls, and maybe boys? Her experiences with men were mostly underwhelming, most of them terrified of her. Katara never seemed afraid of her, not even during the war. They worked well together, and obviously shared the same passion - bending. Azula supposed she had a lot to learn from the waterbender, and found herself willing to pursue it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘So, how do you feel about Fire Nation royalty? As, like, romantic partners?’ Azula asked bluntly. Hopefully the rejection would be quick.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘I don’t know if I’m following correctly, but I want you to know that I would never date your brother.’ Katara shuddered. ‘Not after cleaning up after him during the war, not ever.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Female Fire Nation royalty?’ Azula asks, scanning Katara for any reaction.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Well, that’s a completely different conversation.’ She blushes, avoiding Azula’s gaze.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Katara, I’m just gonna ask you something, you don’t have to say yes.’ Azula says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Go on…’ She replies apprehensively.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Do you wanna kiss and then go find the Hou household to hang out with Ming?’ Azula asks all in one breath.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Katara looks shocked for all of one second, processing the words carefully. Then, a smile blooms. ‘I’d love to.’</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>this is absolutely a crackfic, I didn't proofread and i think it's all completely out of character. hope you enjoyed! find me on twitter @kyoshixrangi OR @azutaraweek, and on tumblr @zukka-supremacy</p><p>kudos and especially comments are my lifeblood &lt;3</p></blockquote></div></div>
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